MONTREAL — In an over-the-top accent, one half of a notorious Quebec comedy duo claims to be the president of France as he describes sex with his famous wife, the joy of killing animals and Hustler magazine's latest Sarah Palin porno spoof.

At the other end of the line? An oblivious Sarah Palin.

The Masked Avengers, a radio pairing notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state, notched its latest victory Saturday when it released a recording of a six-minute call with Palin, who thought she was talking with Nicolas Sarkozy...

I saw and heard this on the news. I've been a fervent Obama supporter from the beginning, and I think that Palin is an airhead, but I just didn't find this funny at all. Not offensive or anything, it was just dumb.

All of the jokes were one-liners that he said quickly in French or said quickly in the exaggerated accent that was difficult to make out even on this relatively perfect recording of the studio mikes, much less over a phone line. That's pretty weak in my book, if they were only getting away with their jokes because she could barely understand what he was saying. They chickened out and broke it off before she even began to catch on, whereas a good prankster would keep it going and get away with whatever he could.

I may just be jaded because I had a friend who prank called all the time when we were in high school. He would have gradually convinced her of completely outrageous things that would actually show how credulous or uninformed she is. Like, he would have asked her if she was ready to move into the white house, then convinced her that in France there are actually seven white houses for the President and the President's extended family to live in because of all the palaces that French kings built. Or he'd get her to say something politically embarrassing about socialism by playing off of the fact Sarkozy defeated a socialist opponent when he won the Presidency.

Like, he would have asked her if she was ready to move into the white house, then convinced her that in France there are actually seven white houses for the President and the President's extended family to live in because of all the palaces that French kings built.

But that's not funny.

You must have either missed the comments about "seeing Belgium from his house" or the whole hunting thing "mmm.. I love the smell of dead animals", or it must have gone over your head!

Even if someone got Palin to actually believe it and respond to them as if she really thought there are seven white houses in France that twenty-five members of Sarkozy's family moved into or something? I think that would be funny. Funnier than getting her to believe that Sarkozy is a hunter.

You must have either missed the comments about "seeing Belgium from his house" or the whole hunting thing "mmm.. I love the smell of dead animals", or it must have gone over your head!

No, I heard them. I chuckled a little bit at the Belgium thing, though it's something he might actually say. But if all they're going to do is stuff Sarkozy might actually say or stuff she can't actually hear, what's the point of making it a prank call? Why not just tell the jokes on their radio show? They didn't trick her into saying anything funny and gave up without even trying, it seemed like. I've just heard way, way better prank calls, so this was disappointing.

Even if someone got Palin to actually believe it and respond to them as if she really thought there are seven white houses in France that twenty-five members of Sarkozy's family moved into or something? I think that would be funny. Funnier than getting her to believe that Sarkozy is a hunter.

We must have a very different sense of humour.

No, I heard them. I chuckled a little bit at the Belgium thing, though it's something he might actually say. But if all they're going to do is stuff Sarkozy might actually say or stuff she can't actually hear, what's the point of making it a prank call? Why not just tell the jokes on their radio show?

Because telling a joke about someone to them, whilst they are on the phone and don't even realise that they are being made fun of is infinitely more funny.

Because telling a joke about someone to them, whilst they are on the phone and don't even realise that they are being made fun of is infinitely more funny.

Well, if they hear something with a double entendre and don't get that they're being made fun of I'd find that kind of thing quite funny. But telling a joke in a language someone doesn't understand to their face is like telling an inside joke they'd never get anyways, such as something with an obscure Star Trek or Dr. Who or other cultural reference for example, or just whispering a joke to a classmate about the teacher when he isn't looking; in those situations telling it in front of the person doesn't enhance the joke for me. (Except insofar as, if the joke recipient laughs out loud and is put in an awkward social situation for doing so.)

Unless, hang on - is it schadenfreude? Thinking of the potential embarrassment she'd have when they tell her it's a prank or when it's released on the internet? In that case I might have short-circuited because I was thinking something like "they could do that to just anyone, so I sure as heck wouldn't be embarrassed if they did that to me." Empathized with her when she doesn't deserve empathy, I guess.

Unless, hang on - is it schadenfreude? Thinking of the potential embarrassment she'd have when they tell her it's a prank or when it's released on the internet? In that case I might have short-circuited because I was thinking something like "they could do that to just anyone, so I sure as heck wouldn't be embarrassed if they did that to me." Empathized with her when she doesn't deserve empathy, I guess.

Great clip, Ivan. I don't normally like the 'punked' sort of humour, but it certainly contributes to the general consensus that the woman is an idiot.
By the bye, your new avatar is giving me a serious headache.

I saw and heard this on the news. I've been a fervent Obama supporter from the beginning, and I think that Palin is an airhead, but I just didn't find this funny at all. Not offensive or anything, it was just dumb.

I agree, except I'm not fully convinced she's an airhead. Honestly, considering how many comedians have been going out of their way to make her the butt of their jokes, and how well she's taken it all in stride, I actually gained more respect for her over these types of things. It makes the pranksters look boorish and crass.

And you're right, it's not like they tricked her into saying anything stupid that might have made it funny. You really can't even tell if she was onto them and playing along or perhaps unsure so playing it safe?

Did anyone else notice Palin sweet talking him with all sorts of nonsense. Did she think this was between her and him on air or was it a private call? Does she really BS people like that on the phone? She really had a hard on for him on the phone. It came off so phony.

Did anyone else notice Palin sweet talking him with all sorts of nonsense. Did she think this was between her and him on air or was it a private call? Does she really BS people like that on the phone? She really had a hard on for him on the phone. It came off so phony.

I didn't think it was that extreme, but I did pick up on it seeming a bit phony, which is why I wondered if she was really onto the joke and playing along. I don't think you can have as many kids as she has and not have some experience with people trying to pull pranks on you and learning to play along.

I didn't think it was that extreme, but I did pick up on it seeming a bit phony, which is why I wondered if she was really onto the joke and playing along. I don't think you can have as many kids as she has and not have some experience with people trying to pull pranks on you and learning to play along.

I dont know. You cant really run for office and not know what job that position does either.

Did anyone else notice Palin sweet talking him with all sorts of nonsense. Did she think this was between her and him on air or was it a private call? Does she really BS people like that on the phone? She really had a hard on for him on the phone. It came off so phony.

Since the person who handed her the phone told her it was Sarkozy and she believed it, she believed it was a diplomatic situation with a foreign head of state. I think it's appropriate to be excruciatingly courteous in diplomatic situations and being excruciatingly courteous definitely comes of as kind of phony.

We've seen the opposite of being excruciatingly courteous in diplomatic situations - remember Bush slapping Angela Merkel on the back? That was very real and downhome and not phony at all. I wish he'd been acting more like Palin here on that occasion.